We tried and tried to get one last two wheeled adventure in prior to making the U-turn back toward rain drenched Indiana. The weather just wouldn’t cooperate. We had no plan and nowhere to go. The packing process began slowly. Staying in a place for 6 days allows time for your belongings to ooze from the suitcase, duffel bag, camera case, or computer carrier. There was a lot of “Have you seen my ……………(fill in the blank)?” and a little bit of “never mind, I found it”.

It turned out to be a busy day for the truck however. The truck was still appreciating the fact that the trailer was at the top of the hill and did not require movement just yet. First, we ran down to The Other Cafe for a repeat of the breakfast we had a few days ago. Unfortunately we got the other server at The Other Cafe. This one was not friendly or efficient – we’re still batting about 50% on service. A quick stop at the local grocery store to replenish the bottled water supply then back up the hill.

By this time it had rained some and there were dark clouds hanging over Paradise Valley.

After breakfast, the packing process continued. There was no rest for the truck as Spencer and Laura headed down to find a BBQ place that they had heard about. It turned out to be a good spot for them. (If you’re curious, you can read about it in Spencer’s blog “Spencer – I hardly knew me” – https://spencererli.wordpress.com.

By the time they came back it was raining pretty hard. We needed to head in to pick up something for dinner so back down the hill went the truck. It was time for pizza and there just happened to be a Pizza Hut 3 miles down the road. It was familiar comfort food which was just what was called for. Diesel fuel was available right across the street so that meant we didn’t have to maneuver the entire truck / trailer through there in the morning.

It was finally time to attach that big box to the backside of the truck. Our pit crew all jumped in and the feat was accomplished in record time – just ahead of another round of rain. Ugh! I thought I heard the truck crying. It is filthy with road grime and dust from the awful gravel road. It may never look like a black truck again.

The bags are packed and loaded. The trash is gathered up. The lift-off time has been agreed to. It’s been raining all evening which matches our mood. Hopefully truckasaurus has one more trip down the hill in it’s drivetrain even if it will be a muddy decent. I’m pretty sure it will be quiet inside the truck.